It is known to provide various containers for housing fishing lures and the like. Some of these containers provide boat attachment means and others provide compartments into which unit lures may be stored. Typical prior art lure containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,316,833; 2,513,538; 2,603,549; 4,765,470 and 4,770,327.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,833 (Baron) a tackle box is described having fixed loops or hanging members for securing the tackle box to the side of a boat. These loops are of one dimension and cannot be used on all size boats. In addition, these loops would have a tendency to slide along the rim of the boat sides upon any up and down motion of the boat. Also, the tackle box of Baron's can easily become disengaged because of the movable nature of these securing loops. The shelves in Baron are of fixed sizes and cannot be adjusted if needed to house various size lures. The lures in Baron's device are suspended by their hook portions on horizontally-disposed rods which could dull the hooks because of constant movement thereon. The closure means or doors of Baron are outside his box when the tackle box is in use and could be an obstruction in the limited confines of a boat. Also, the lures are exposed when Baron's doors are open creating the potential for these lures to become entangled with the lure in use when the line is swung within the boat. Thus, while Baron's tackle box has a multi-lure capacity, it has important practical drawbacks when used.
In Williams U.S. Pat. No. 2,513,538 a carrier for lures is disclosed which has a spring-loaded boat attachment means. This attachment means comprises a bar fixed to both ends of the container and adapted to be attached to the rail or edge of a boat. Because Williams' boat attachment is fixed it has limited use; for example, it does not allow the user to raise or lower the lure container in relation to the depth of the boat. Also, Williams' container has a very limited capacity and can only house from one to ten lures. Considering the space requirements for this type lure container, few lures can be contained therein. Since each lure compartment of Williams has a separate door only one lure can be viewed and removed at one time. The doors of Williams open to drop the lures into the user's hand which can be dangerous. A container where all the lures can be viewed and the desired lure lifted off the support would provide a significant advance in the art.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,549 to Tessmer a tackle box with a revolving lure receptacle is disclosed. Tessmer provides compartment enclosures that are transparent through which the lures can be viewed. However, since the receptacle is rotatable, only four compartments are viewable at one time while the other compartments are hidden from view in the lower portion of the housing. Also, containers of the type disclosed by Tessmer have a limited capacity and can only house lures of a limited size. The compartments of Tessmer are of one dimension and are not adjustable to suit various size lures.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,470 to Curci a lure container having movable drawers is described. These drawers of Curci are all tyhe same size and are interchangeable and cannot accommodate both large and small lures. His container is designed to be worn by a fisherman while fishing and is intended to house lightweight equipment and lures. It is for the stream fisherman wherein small artificial flies and small lures are used. Again, Curci's container is of limited capacity, can only accommodate small lures, has no boat connection means nor are its compartments adjustable.
The Fortson U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,327 discloses a portable tackle box having a multiplicity of interchangeable inserts for holding fishing lures. Since Fortson's container is designed to be worn it also has a limited capacity. There is no protective covering for the lures once the container of Fortson is opened. Thus, with the lures exposed they can become entangled with the line and lure being used or can easily become dislodged. The boat attachment means of Fortson requires the use of tools and screws which could be impractical, especially if the boat is a rented or borrowed boat. A container with non-destructive means of attachment to a boat would be substantially superior and versatile to the type disclosed by Fortson.